This invention relates to an information processing system, an information processing apparatus and an information processing method, a program, and a recording medium, and more particularly to an information processing system, an information processing apparatus and an information processing method, a program and a recording medium wherein an image of a predetermined region can be picked up and a moving body in the predetermined region desired by a user can be tracked to pick up an image of the moving body.
In recent years, in order to assure the security, a multi-point camera monitoring system (multi camera system) is frequently installed, for example, in a bank, a parking area, a house and so forth in which an automatic teller machine (ATM) is placed.
Such a multi camera system as described above includes a plurality of video cameras and a recording apparatus for recording images acquired by the video cameras. An apparatus for use with such a multi camera system as described above has been proposed wherein a plurality of images are reduced in scale and combined into a one-frame image as disclosed for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. Hei 10-108163 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 1). Also a device has been proposed wherein images from a plurality of video cameras are collected and recorded on a recording medium such as a video tape as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-243062 (hereinafter referred to as Patent Document 2).
FIG. 1 shows an appearance of an example of a conventional multi camera system.
Referring to FIG. 1, the multi camera system 1 shown includes four cameras 11-1 to 11-4. The cameras 11-1 to 11-4 are stationary cameras whose photographing direction is fixed or pan tilt zoom cameras whose photographing direction is variable. The cameras 11-1 to 11-4 monitor a region 21 of a circular wide area of a diameter of 40 m, for example, in a parking area.
FIG. 2 shows an example of a configuration of the multi camera system shown in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 2, each of the cameras 11-1 to 11-4 picks up an image. The cameras 11-1 to 11-4 are individually connected to a recording apparatus 41 and supply analog signals of images obtained by image pickup to the recording apparatus 41. The recording apparatus 41 records image data which are digital signals of images obtained by A/D conversion of the analog signals of the images supplied from the cameras 11-1 to 11-4. Further, the recording apparatus 41 is connected to a display apparatus 42 and causes the display apparatus 42 to display an image corresponding to the image data.
However, in the multi camera system 1 in FIG. 2, the cameras which can be connected to the recording apparatus 41 are limited to only four cameras 11-1 to 11-4, and therefore, the extensibility of the multi camera system 1 is poor.
FIG. 3 shows another example of the configuration of the multi camera system 1 in FIG. 1.
Referring to FIG. 3, the cameras 11-1 to 11-4 are connected to a personal computer (PC) 52 through a network 51. Each of the cameras 11-1 to 11-4 picks up an image and transmit image data obtained by the image pickup to the PC 52 through the network 51 in accordance with the IP (Internet Protocol). The PC 52 records the image data and displays an image corresponding to the image data.
As described above, in the multi camera system 1, four cameras 11-1 to 11-4 are required to monitor the region 21. Therefore, it is cumbersome to install the cameras, and a high cost is required for the multi camera system 1. Further, in order to acquire high definition images, it is necessary to pick up images with a raised image pickup magnification, and therefore, a greater number of cameras are required. However, where the number of cameras is not increased while it is intended to acquire high definition images, it is difficult to acquire high definition images from all portions of the entire region 21. Therefore, it is necessary for the operator to normally monitor normal images and designate a desired region to acquire a high definition image of the region.
A monitoring camera is available which can monitor a situation within a wide area using a single camera by picking up an image of a subject while the image pickup direction is shifted successively to obtain a panorama image of the entire subject formed from a plurality of unit images.